Who We Are

Dr. Robert Langer is one of 12 Institute Professors, the highest honor of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He completed his undergraduate studies in Chemical Engineering at Cornell University and obtained his Sc.D. in Chemical Engineering at MIT. Dr. Langer has written over 1,500 scientific papers and also has more than 1,400 granted or pending patents. His patents have been licensed or sublicensed to 400 pharmaceutical, chemical, biotechnology and medical device companies. He is the most cited engineer in history. Dr. Langer also has been involved in the founding of more than 40 biotech companies that have an estimated market value of over $200 billion. He has received over 220 major science awards. Langer is one of three living individuals to have received both the United States National Medal of Science and the United States National Medal of Technology and Innovation. The Langer Lab at MIT is the largest academic biomedical engineering lab in the world with more than 100 researchers. His group’s work lies at the interface of biotechnology and materials science. A major focus is the study and development of polymers to deliver drugs, particularly genetically engineered proteins, continuously at controlled rates and for prolonged periods of time.

After graduating from Vanderbilt University, Catherine B. Reynolds started her business career as a CPA at the accounting firm of Arthur Young and then became the Special Assistant to the Board Chairman of The Charter Company, a Fortune 50 company at the time. As the leader of two businesses, Mrs. Reynolds created a new and affordable way for Americans to finance a college education — a privately funded supplement to government student loan programs. Through her vision and perseverance, millions of Americans have been able to attend the college of their choice. In only one decade, this creative approach revolutionized student lending and spawned a multibillion-dollar industry. Catherine B. Reynolds was selected by BusinessWeek magazine as one of the 50 most philanthropic living Americans and is the first self-made woman ever to make the list. Mrs. Reynolds currently serves on the boards of General Dynamics Corporation and Lindblad Expeditions, LLC.

Dr. Ana Jaklenec is a Principal Research Scientist and PI at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the laboratory of Dr. Robert Langer at the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research. Her group is focused on engineering delivery systems for global health. Dr. Jaklenec has over 15 years of experience in the area of bioengineering, materials science, micronutrient and vaccine stabilization and delivery. Dr. Jaklenec holds a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Brown University. She is the recipient of the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Jaklenec was elected to the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) College of Fellows in 2022 for her work in controlled delivery of vaccines and heat-stable micronutrients for global health that can change the world. She was also elected to the Controlled Release Society (CRS) College of Fellows in 2022 for her research at the interface of engineering and immunology that utilizes precise fabrication and design of materials at the nano- and micro-scale for use in controlled drug delivery for global health. She has supervised over 50 pre- and postdoctoral students and has written over 35 articles in high-impact journals and has over 30 issued and pending patents worldwide. She is an active member of the Biomedical Engineering Society, the Controlled Release Society, and the Society for Biomaterials.

Abby is a seasoned professional with almost 30 years experience in government and government affairs, ESG and corporate governance matters. She serves as a Director on two multinational sustainable packaging company Board’s, Ardagh Group and Ardagh Metal Packaging (NYSE-AMBP), which manufacture infinitely recyclable aluminum cans and glass bottles for leading brands such as Coca Cola, Smuckers and Diageo. She also sits on the Board of SmartStart, the number one alcohol interlock device company in the world. In August of 2022, Abby departed the Kraft Heinz Company after 21 years. Utilizing her expertise at the intersection of business and government, she led their Global Government Affairs function for 10 years, and most recently was a Senior Advisor on Government and ESG Affairs, Advisor to the Board of Directors and a member of the Kraft Heinz Foundation Board. During her first several years at Kraft she held a variety of other positions. Prior to shifting to business, Abby worked in and around government including on Capitol Hill, with a national trade association, two federal agencies and in presidential and party politics. Abby holds undergraduate degrees in Political Science and English from the University of Maryland and has been named one of the DC’s Top Influencers by Washingtonian Magazine for the past two years. She serves on the Board of Trustees of the Children’s Inn at NIH, the Congressional Families Cancer Prevention Foundation and is the Secretary and a member of the Ford’s Theatre Board. Mrs. Blunt is also a member of the Washington Economic Club (WEC) and Extraordinary Women on Boards (EWOB).

Secretary Elaine Chao is an inspiring and consequential leader who has been appointed to two Presidential cabinet positions: U. S. Secretary of Transportation and U. S. Secretary of Labor. When she was unanimously confirmed to her first cabinet post as Secretary of Labor, she became the first woman of Asian American & Pacific Islander heritage to serve in the President’s cabinet in history. Prior to being U. S. Secretary of Labor, Secretary Chao was President and CEO of United Way of America where she restored public trust and confidence to an organization tarnished by controversy and scandal. She was also Director of the Peace Corps where she launched the first Peace Corps programs in the newly independent Baltic states, Ukraine and the former republics of the former Soviet Union. Secretary Chao began her public service as a White House Fellow working at the White House. She then served as Deputy Maritime Administrator, U. S. Department of Transportation; Chair of the Federal Maritime Commission; and, Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation. She had also worked as a banker in the private sector. Secretary Chao is an experienced board member having served as director of Fortune 500 companies while out of government. She currently serves on the boards of Kroger and a number of new economy technology companies in the mobility sector. She is also a director on many nonprofit boards, including Harvard Business School Board of Dean’s Advisors, Global Advisory Board, Los Angeles 2028 Organizing Committee of Olympic and Paralympic Games (LA28) and a trustee of Ford’s Theater, Ronald Reagan Foundation, and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Secretary Chao earned her M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and is the recipient of 37 honorary degrees. Secretary Chao is a resident of Kentucky.

Roger W. Ferguson, Jr., is the Steven A. Tananbaum Distinguished Fellow for International Economics at the Council on Foreign Relations. He is the immediate past President and Chief Executive Officer of TIAA, the leading provider of retirement services in the academic, research, medical, and cultural fields and a Fortune 100 financial services organization. Mr. Ferguson is the former Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors of the U.S. Federal Reserve System. He represented the Federal Reserve on several international policy groups and served on key Federal Reserve System committees, including Payment System Oversight, Reserve Bank Operations, and Supervision and Regulation. As the only Governor in Washington, D.C. on 9/11, he led the Fed’s initial response to the terrorist attacks, taking actions that kept the U.S. financial system functioning while reassuring the global financial community that the U.S. economy would not be paralyzed. Prior to joining TIAA in April 2008, Mr. Ferguson was head of financial services for Swiss Re, Chairman of Swiss Re America Holding Corporation, and a member of the company’s executive committee. From 1984 to 1997, he was an Associate and Partner at McKinsey & Company. He began his career as an attorney at the New York City office of Davis Polk & Wardwell. Mr. Ferguson is a member of the Smithsonian Institution’s Board of Regents. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and co-chairs its Commission on the Future of Undergraduate Education. He serves on the boards of Alphabet, Inc.; Corning, Inc, General Mills, Inc.; and International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc. Mr. Ferguson is also active as an advisor and board member with various private fintech companies. He serves on the boards of The Conference Board, the Institute for Advanced Study, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Columbia University’s Teachers College. He is a fellow of the American Philosophical Society and a member of the Economic Club of New York, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Group of Thirty, and the National Association for Business Economics. Mr. Ferguson served on President Obama’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness as well as its predecessor, the Economic Recovery Advisory Board, and he co-chaired the National Academy of Sciences’ Committee on the Long-Run Macro-Economic Effects of the Aging U.S. Population. Mr. Ferguson holds a B.A., J.D., and a Ph.D. in economics, all from Harvard University.

Giovanni Traverso is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and also a gastroenterologist in the Division of Gastroenterology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), Harvard Medical School. Dr. Traverso grew up in Peru, Canada and the United Kingdom. He received his BA from Trinity College, University of Cambridge, UK, and his Ph.D. from the lab of Prof. Bert Vogelstein at Johns Hopkins University. He subsequently completed medical school at the University of Cambridge, internal medicine residency at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and his gastroenterology fellowship training at Massachusetts General Hospital, both at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Traverso’s previous work focused on the development of novel molecular tests for the early detection of colon cancer. For his post-doctoral research, he transitioned to the fields of chemical and biomedical engineering in the laboratory of Professor Robert Langer at MIT where he developed a series of novel technologies for drug delivery as well as physiological sensing via the gastrointestinal tract. His current research program is focused on developing the next generation of drug delivery systems to enable safe and efficient delivery of therapeutics, biomedical device to support new modes of drug administration and sensing a broad array of physiologic and pathophysiologic signals. Additionally, Dr. Traverso continues his efforts towards the development of novel diagnostic tests that enable the early detection of cancer.

Peter Barton Hutt is Senior Counsel at the Washington, D.C. law firm of Covington & Burling LLP, where he has specialized in Food and Drug Law for more than five decades. From 1971 to 1975, Mr. Hutt was Chief Counsel for the Food and Drug Administration. He led the transformation of the agency from an outdated model of law enforcement to modern administrative law, writing the comprehensive procedural regulations that govern all FDA administrative action to this day. He has appeared before committees of the House and Senate more than 100 times as witness or counsel. He has advised and represented the national trade associations of the food, prescription drug, nonprescription drug, dietary supplement, and cosmetic industries, served on the advisory boards of leading venture capital firms, and held seats on the boards of more than 30 healthcare biotechnology companies. He is co-author of Food and Drug Law: Cases and Materials, now in its fourth edition. Since 1994, he has taught a full course on Food and Drug Law at Harvard Law School, covering all aspects of government regulation of food and drugs from ancient times to the present.